Giving Your Creativity Room To Grow

I fell in love with my characters and now I'm heartbroken that they've gone to live with someone else… But we all need to set our creations free

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As I wrote the last line of my first short story I came to a terrible conclusion: I knew that two of my characters were going to have a terrible experience. It was inevitable and unavoidable, in fact if I tried to avoid it the story would make no sense. I just stared out the window almost afraid to type the words that would send these two beautiful people to their doom.

As I went back to redraft I realised that what had started out as a light hearted crime caper had become a story about love in several forms: romantic love, love for a place and the love of deep friendship. It was also about desire: sexual and for self improvement. The principal characters are joined in their strong desire to escape where they come from which is what leads two of them to tragedy.

The thing is I had started writing the story as a challenge to myself. I work as a Creative Consultant with theatre makers across musicals, cabaret and straight theatre. My work is helping them clarify and construct their shows. This involves making clients look dispassionately at their creation - whether it is a two act musical, a one woman show or a cabaret show. Together we find clarity about the show’s meaning, objective and structure so that all three connect and feed each other. And I have enjoyed success with clients performing their shows on national tours, in the West End, in New York and on cruise ships. I have personally created and produced shows, events and programmes that have been presented by theatre companies, Disney and on cruise lines around the world.

But, until now, I have written only narratives and not stories. I have created shows with existing characters or given character ideas for theatre makers to use as jumping off points. The beauty of this is having other creatives, actors and directors take an idea, develop it and bring it to life. I was only the yeast that got the process started in terms of characters and they were the rising loaf.

This time, however, I lived with my characters. The story’s climax takes place in Studio 54 in 1977 and my writing room became that place. I am surrounded by photos of the time and there are two specific images that show my principal female character, Melissa: one in her work uniform and one at Studio 54. The photos could well be of two different women but as Melissa came to life thee two photos became one person - HER! I even convinced my wife that it was the same woman in both photos (and it could well be).

So why am I sharing this? Many of you will have been through this when writing characters for your stories and shows. I have heard writers talk about the relationships they have with their characters and I think I rejected it because I felt that I would never be capable of feeling that deeply for a character that I had created.

But what do you know? I was wrong. And I know I was wrong because there were moments I felt that the only way to save the characters from harm was to stop writing. But stopping was not an option because the story had to be submitted to a contest for which I had paid an entry fee! The characters would have to be sent off to a judging panel for assessment. The four of them would have to stand on their own without my support. They could no longer be adjusted or made to sound smarter, funnier or sexier. I was seriously concerned that something bad would happen to them in the judge’s hands and even considered not submitting the story.

I realised, however, that this feeling is shared by all of us who create. Our creation is ours and we have nurtured and developed it from birth to adulthood. We have taken it through the stages from 'brilliant idea that just keeps giving’ to ‘Oh my God I should just dump this’ and even ‘Well it is what it is and I’ve spent so much time on it…so whatever’ When we throw our creative dove into the sky we can only hope that it will fly.

Two weeks ago I recorded an interview with Susan Grant and Joni De Winter who have written a very funny musical called Hugh. On the night before they were due to first publicly perform the show, they ended up in tears on the floor of Susan’s living room. They were overcome with fear that the show was not ready, that it was not very good and they questioned why would they put themselves through public humiliation. They are strong grown women and mothers so they took a deep breath (and a large glass of wine) and presented the show the next evening at the Shaftesbury Fringe Theatre Festival. As it turned out Hugh The Musical was ready, was funny and well received but it also had room for growth and development.

The point is that nothing we create is ever ready BUT it will also never grow anymore if left in the dark. There is a moment when we have to bring our creation into the light of the public gaze to nourish it and help it grow.

My story could well have fatal flaws. The characters that I love could be totally unlikeable to anyone except me and where I have wanted the reader to show tenderness they might show disgust. However, this might not mean that they are bad characters - just that I have written them badly. Their story might not be understood in the manner I want, which means that I need to go back and take responsibility for better telling the world what happened to these people that I love.

The only way to improve the flaws that will exist is to get the piece into the light so that others can offer their feedback. I can then use their comments to serve my story and my characters better.

If you are creating then find those people who can be your light, who can nourish what you are growing and allow them to experience your work. You might not get it right first time so go back and rethink it. A draft is only final if you do no more work on it and, as Stephen Sondheim said “ A vision’s just a vision if it’s only in your head, if no-one gets to see it, it’s as good as dead”

If you would like support with your creative project or practise then let’s chat! You can email directly at jasonwardcreative@gmail.com

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